


Best Song Ever

by MedieavalBeabe



Series: One Direction and Thee [3]
Category: Harry Styles/Reader - Fandom, One Direction (Band)
Genre: Baby, Birth, Expecting Baby, Fluff, Friendship, Gen, Other 1D Members Excited, Romance, Sweetness, You and Harry Married, happiness
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-09-28
Updated: 2016-08-23
Packaged: 2018-04-23 21:10:01
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,239
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4892353
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MedieavalBeabe/pseuds/MedieavalBeabe
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Three years since you and Harry met, and you're now married and expecting a baby. </p><p>That's it. </p><p>Basically.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. "Your Song"

You smile to yourself as you pull the cake out of the oven. It’s turned out perfectly, a Mary Berry recipe done to perfection. And you’ve just enough time to put the banana loaf your husband loves so much in an airtight container and give the living room one last sweep to ensure it’s tidy before you hear the knock on the door that announces your friends are here.

 

As quickly as you can manage in your condition, it isn’t easy being eight months pregnant, you make your way to the door and grin at the others. “Hey, guys.”

 

“Oh, look at you, baby, you look so gorgeous!” Ollie gushes, gesturing both hands to your stomach.

 

“Ollie, I look like a beached whale,” you laugh, hugging Fern.

 

“No, you don’t,” Clara insists. “You look good.”

 

You usher them all in towards the living room. “I’m sorry Harry can’t be here,” you apologise.

 

“Hey, we understand,” Sam smiles. “It can’t be easy being him.”

 

“Are the others excited?” Megan asks, sitting down on the sofa.

 

You grin, cupping one hand over your stomach, wondering if the baby’ll kick. “I’ll say. Niall says he can’t wait to be an uncle.”

 

“And you still don’t know what it’s going to be yet?” Libby asks, shaking her head.

 

“No. Harry and I agreed, we’ll just wait until it’s born.”

 

“But how are you going to plan ahead? Have you even thought about names?”

 

“No, we’ll just do a Ross and Rachel and sort that after the birth. Don’t look at me like I’m mental,” you add as Libby cocks an eyebrow at you. “When it’s _your_ baby, you can sort things _your_ way.”

 

Fern reached out and touches your stomach, gently. “Do you think you know what it might be, though? I mean, does it feel like one or the other?”

 

“No, not really,” you say. “Harry swears it’s a girl, but, I don’t know, just when I think he could be right, it’ll kick and I’ll think actually it might be a boy.”

 

Right on cue, the baby kicks and Fern gasps with a grin.

 

“Wha-is it kicking now?” Ollie squeals. “Let me feel!”

 

You laugh as everyone crowds around you. “Honestly, you guys are as bad as the rest of On Direction!”

 

“How did Harry react when you told him?” Sam asks.

 

A smile crosses your face as you remember that night.

 

_You paced the floor of your bedroom, nervously, suddenly wishing you were wearing more than just your little sheer black camisole and tiny black pants that you bought ages ago specifically to help Harry “indulge in his little fetish,” as you called it. He had been at the recording studio all day and you’d been planning to surprise him when he got in._

_And now he would definitely be surprised, but not quite for the reason you wanted._

_You took a deep breath, running your hands through your hair and tried to convince yourself to calm down. After all, this was a good thing. You were going to have a baby, with Harry, you were going to be a Mum. This was amazing, something that most young married women dreamed of having happen to them._

_The thing was, well, was it happening too soon? You and Harry had only been married a couple of months and neither of you had talked about having kids yet._

_You had no idea how he was going to react._

_Smiling to yourself, you thought back to that day, that day when you and Harry finally got married after much nagging from your friends. Harry had very romantically proposed to you down at the Bay, having decided to recreate your first official date with him, and you had accepted so enthusiastically that the force of your hug had almost toppled the pair of you right into the water. It had been a quiet wedding, with only family and a few close friends, no big name celebrities other than the rest of One Direction and Little Mix (well, you couldn’t leave them out; Perrie was still dating Zayn and it was unfair to invite her and not the others as well) but you had been happy with that. It was perfect._

_Just like your husband._

_You jumped suddenly as you heard the front door opening and Harry calling your name._

_“[Y/N]?”_

_“Up here!” you called back, hoping your voice wasn’t shaking. Your hands certainly were. You were just debating whether or not to put on something other than skimpy underwear when the door opened and Harry walked in. You turned to him and smiled, automatically, because he always does that to you. “Hey, how was it?” you asked, going up and wrapping your arms around him._

_“Mm, exhausting,” Harry murmured into your neck. “You definitely have the easier job out of us two.”_

_“Excuse me, writing is stressful, thank you,” you laughed, giving him a teasing prod in the ribs. Harry gasped and tried to wriggle out of your grip, but you were tickling him by now. “Plus my publisher is now breathing down my neck to get the sequel finished, so...”_

_“Alright, you made your point, I have it easier!” Harry laughed, and you let up on him. Looking up into his familiar cheeky expression that you fell in love with all those years ago, you knew that you couldn’t keep this secret from him much longer. It was now or never, whatever the consequences._

_You sighed. “Harry, I’ve got to tell you something.”_

_Harry frowned and took your face in his hands. “Hey, what is it? Are you ok?”_

_You nodded, nervously. “I think you’d better sit down.” You guided him to the bed and sat beside him. “Harry...I’m pregnant.”_

_There was a slight pause, and then Harry asked “Are you sure?”_

_You had no idea what that meant, if it meant that he was worried or angry or what, so it was rather nervously that you nodded and replied “Yeah, I did a test just now. Three weeks.”_

_Harry immediately gathered you in his arms and kissed you. When you finally blinked up at him, he was beaming down at you. “[Y/N], I love you! I absolutely love you!”_

_You felt relief flood through you. “You’re not upset?”_

_“Upset?” Harry repeated, squeezing your hands tightly. “How can I be upset? I’m going to be a Dad! Oh, fuck,” he added, seeming to realise just what a change that would be, “I’m going to be a Dad. Shit!” He clapped a hand over his mouth and glanced at your stomach before placing his hand over it. “You didn’t hear that, did you?”_

_You laughed in relief. “Harry, only three weeks old. It probably hasn’t developed hearing just yet.”_

_“Well, you never know,” Harry replied, his hand stroking your stomach gently. “From now on, there’s to be no swearing in front of the baby.”_

_You smiled up at him. “We’re going to be parents.”_

_Harry smiled back as he leaned forward to kiss you. “We are.”_

You relate the story to the others, leaving out the part about the sexy underwear.

 

“Aw!” everyone coos.

 

“You are so lucky,” Megan sighs.

 

You smile. “Yeah, I am.” Then, you manage to stagger to your feet. “Now, if anyone’s hungry, we have cake in the kitchen.”

 

“Cake?” Ollie springs to his feet. “I’m there!”

 

His response reminds you so much of Niall’s that you start giggling.

 

“I’ve been baking a lot lately, because I keep craving sweet things,” you explain, pulling the cake forwards to cut a slice. “Last night the boys came around because they heard there was cake on offer.”

 

“Is that all you’ve been craving?” Clara asks in surprise.

 

“Well, no, I had an odd craving the other day for mayonnaise on toast,” you say. “It was surprisingly nice actually. Oh, and the other day I had a craving for Portuguese tarts, so Harry drove us all the way over to Cardiff just so we could go to the caff. He’s been looking up recipes online too just in case it happens again and he’s not here.”

 

“Aw!” Megan pouts. “How come I can never meet anyone like that?”

 

“It’s not from want of trying,” Libby reminds her, with a grin. “Remember that celeb party where you flirted with _all_ the boys from 5 Seconds of Summer?”

 

“What are you trying to say?” Megan asks, innocently.

 

It’s nice just to see the guys again. You’ve been calling and Skyping each other a lot, but work and other commitments have just prevented you from all meeting up, until today. You laugh and chat together, talking babies, and they all coo over your latest sonogram picture, which Ollie swears looks like a girl, even though it’s very hard to tell. Eventually, however, it’s time for them to go, and they all hug you before leaving you to clean up in the kitchen.

 

“There you go,” you say to your baby bump as you close the door. “You might not have any blood aunts and uncles on my side, but those guys are going to love you like you’re family. I know Aunty Gemma can’t wait to meet you.”

 

You know that because she always seems more excited about your impending due date than you and Harry. She was always dying for you and Harry to get married, in fact the first thing she said when he broke the news to her was “Well, it’s about time too!” You just hope that one day you can be saying that to her.

 

You pad into the kitchen, wondering if it would be terrible to have just one more slice of cake, and your phone suddenly bleeps. You know who it’ll be before you even look.

 

_On my way xxx_

You smile and text back.

 

_The guys just left, and I think our son/daughter’s been missing you._

Beep.

 

_XD Sorry I haven’t talked to you much today._

_That’s alright, I know you’re busy._

_I’ve got a surprise for you._

You blink at that.

 

_What kind of surprise?_

_You’ll see. ;)_

Mystified, you shrug and decide on just a small slice of cake before going back to your spot on the sofa and popping the television on. The Horror channel’s reshowing a couple of old Doctor Who episodes, so you watch them, and by the time the second one’s over, you’ve finished your slice of cake and just heard Harry’s car pulling into the drive.

 

You grin as you manage to clamber unsteadily to your feet and make your way to the door just as Harry opens it.

 

“You should be resting,” he scolds, gently, after you’ve kissed him.

 

“Harry, I only walked to the front door, it’s hardly a marathon,” you protest, half-heartedly, as he leads you back to the sofa.

 

“I’m not having you take any chances,” he insists, kissing your forehead before pressing both hands to your stomach. “How is she?”

 

“What makes you so sure we’re having a girl?” you ask.

 

He grins, lovingly, at you. “Instinct.”

 

“Instinct?”

 

“Yeah, just like the one I had when I first met you, and I knew that you’d turn out to be the love of my life no matter what,” Harry replies.

 

“Aw,” you say, leaning forwards to kiss him, and you both laugh as the baby kicks.

 

“I hadn’t forgotten you,” Harry says, fondly, to your stomach, before kissing it.

 

You smile. “So, what’s this surprise you said you had for me?”

 

Harry reaches into his pocket and pulls out their new album. Like writers, they always get author’s freebies when something’s published. You feel a bit disappointed, since you were expecting something you might actually be interested in, but you do your best to look curious as he removes the CD and pops it into the player, flipping through the buttons until he finds the right track.

 

“I want you to listen to this,” he says, sitting down beside you and pulling you into his arms.

 

“Harry, no offence, I’m sure it’s good, but you know I’m not a fan of your music,” you say.

 

“Just listen to the lyrics,” he insists as the song picks up. You do as he asks, picking out his voice through all the others in this new song you’ve not heard before.

 

“She’s the ice to my fire, she’s the song to my dance,

“She’s everything I desire, wish she’d give me a chance,

“She’s the light in my darkness, she’s the courage to stand,

“Wish she’s stop all this madness, wish that she’d understand,

 

“And I know it sounds strange,

“Because I’ve only just met her,

“But I look at her and suddenly

“It’s like it’s been forever,”

 

“She’s the air I need to breathe,

“The missing piece to make my heart complete,

“And I’d give everything for her,

“In a heartbeat,

“She’s my morning sunshine,

“And if she said she’d be mine,

“I’d be everything she thinks she needs,

“I loved her in a heartbeat...”

 

As the song drifts on, describing deeper feelings for the girl it’s about, you smile and glance up at him. “That’s really lovely. Any girl would love a boy to sing that about her.”

 

Harry smiles and links his fingers with yours. “It’s about you.” You look up at him in surprise and he elaborates. “The day I met you I came up with the opening lyrics, but I got stuck just after the first chorus. The guys and Simon helped out later and fixed it up, made it sound more like our style of song, and...” He gestures to the player where the song is still going. “Result.”

 

“You came up with that the day you met me?” you whisper, your heart racing.

 

“I’m just sorry it took so long to get it on an album,” Harry replies.

 

“Harry...” You can’t find the words, so you just reach up and kiss him.

 

“You sound like you did when we were arranging our first date,” Harry grins. “Do you remember? You kept saying my name a lot then like that.”

 

“That was because you kept complimenting me when I was trying to hate you,” you say, pressing closer to him. “This is...” You just gesture to the player. “This is probably the most romantic thing ever.” You wrap him in a hug. “Thank you.”

 

Harry holds you tightly and warmly in his arms. “I love you, _[Y/N].”_

 

“I know,” you whisper. “I love you too.”


	2. "My Life Would Suck Without You"

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Harry makes you feel better when you feel down about being pregnant. 
> 
> Fluff ensues...

 

Your alarm jolts you out sleep, and groggily you pull out of Harry’s arms to sit up.

 

“Oh, God, my back!” you groan. How some women manage to go through this and have more than one, you may never know. You feel the baby kick inside as you move and you sigh, rubbing your stomach. “I know it’s not your fault,” you murmur.

 

Then, you feel Harry’s hands on your back. “Where does it hurt, love?”

 

“Just there,” you say, gesturing.

 

You’re two and a half weeks away from your due date now and that’s beginning to scare you a bit, because after all the carrying and stuff you know that that’s when the pain _really_ starts, and then after that it’s going to be sleepless nights and panicking that you have no idea what to do and no one’s ever written a manual on how to be a parent so how the hell are you expected to know what you’re doing? You also wonder how Harry’s going to feel if it turns out the baby’s not a girl after all, because he says he’ll love it boy or girl but he’s got it into his head that _is_ going to be a girl and how odd is that going to be if it turns out to be a boy?

 

Your head feels so confused right now, so many conflicting emotions and hormones all over the place.

 

“Mm,” you sigh against Harry’s touch. You lean back and he begins dropping kisses on your shoulders. “Remember the first time you did this for me?”

 

“How could I forget?” Harry grins, kissing a particularly sweet spot on your neck. “That was when I found out my family wanted to meet you, remember?”

 

“Mm-hm,” you sigh, as he finally finds your mouth and kisses you properly. You smile, remembering the first kiss, how unexpected it was, although sometimes you find yourself wondering whether Harry really did do it just to avoid a reporter or whether he did it spontaneously to try and win you over.

 

Either way, it took you completely by surprise, you remember, so much so that you actually forgot that you hated him for a minute.

 

His arms go around you as he kisses you and you feel a little pang, reminding yourself now that you’re bigger than you used to be and there was a time when you used to be able to cuddle down in his arms like a little kitten or something similarly small and fluffy (not a puppy, that’s Harry’s nickname) without any effort whatsoever.

 

You can’t curl up in the same way now, though. Your good clothes don’t fit you anymore, even your underwear’s gone up a size, and you can’t actually remember the last time you went a day without something sugary in your diet.

 

You pull away from him with a sad little sigh that he can’t fail to notice.

 

“What is it?” Harry asks, still holding you.

 

You lean against him. “I hate the way I look now,” you admit.

 

“What? _[Y/N],_ you’re beautiful.”

 

“No, I’m not.”

 

“Yes, you are,” Harry insists. “Come on, I wouldn’t say it if it wasn’t true.” You just “Hm,” against him. He kisses the top of your head. “You know how captivated I was by you when we first met? I couldn’t breathe for a second.”

 

“Yeah,” you sigh, finally wriggling out of his embrace. “But that was before I put on weight.”

 

 _“[Y/N],_ you’re having our baby,” Harry points out, clambering off the bed. “That’s the only reason you can’t fit in your normal clothes anymore.”

 

You look at yourself in the mirror. “Harry, you can’t seriously tell me that you find me attractive like this?” you say, gesturing to the profile of your body.

 

“Of course I do,” Harry insists. “You’re the best thing in my life.”

 

He pulls you into a hug, and even though you know that he means it, you can’t help feeling envious of all the girls you know who _aren’t_ pregnant right now; your mates, Perrie, those girls you see on TV advertising yoghurt or holiday programmes, and mourning that your favourite clothes don’t fit you anymore.

 

You pull away from him with a mutter of “I need a bath.”

 

“What do you want for breakfast?” Harry asks.

 

“Toast.”

 

He gives you a look. “I’ll rephrase that, what does our baby want for breakfast?”

 

You sigh in defeat. “Pancakes,” you admit, “with lots of maple syrup.”

 

Harry kisses you as he passes and makes his way into the kitchen. You make your way to the bathroom, rubbing you stomach tenderly, not wanting your son or daughter to think you’re in any way resenting them.

 

“It’s not that I don’t love you,” you tell them. “I do. I just don’t love what being pregnant with you is doing to my body right now.”

 

You think back to when you and Harry first met, back when you used to worry that having more than one Portuguese tart in the caff would cause you to balloon up overnight. You know it’s just your hormones going haywire, you know that Harry loves you no matter what, but you still feel like you need reassuring.

 

The feel of the hot water soothes your back muscles as you climb into the bath. Usually you just had a quick shower in the mornings, but you’d taken to having baths instead at Harry’s insistence that it was a lot safer for you in your current condition than showering. And the baby seemed to like it too, you noted, as it often kicked whenever you got in, like whenever you went swimming. You sit there until the water starts cooling and finally drag yourself out, feeling like one of those older people who needs a handrail to get in and out of their bath, grab your towel from the floor and pad into the bedroom.

 

You stop in surprise. Harry’s laid out what you always say is your most attractive maternity dress, _[y/f/c]_ with elbow-length sleeves, with your maternity leggings from Debenhams, and your black shoes that can still just about buckle around your ankles given your pregnant state. On top of your dress is a folded piece of paper.

 

You pick it up and unfold it.

 

_Dear [Y/N],_

_You need to know that there are so many things about you I love. You remember when I came to your lecture in Uni that time, to apologise to you, when we said we loved each other for the first time, and I sang to you even after all those times you’d warned me not to? I told you I loved your temper, I loved your attitude, I loved your terrible taste in cinema snacks, I loved everything about you and I always had done._

_You remember that?_

_That’s never changed._

_I love the way you tried so hard not to like me when we first met._

_I love how determined you were that you hated me._

_I love coming to your rescue, like that time in Hereford._

_I love how surprised you always look when I kiss you out of the blue._

_I love your intelligence._

_I love your passion for writing._

_I love the way you always turn to me when you need help of advice._

_I love your voice, and not just when you sing, when you talk, when you argue, when you laugh, any time I hear you._

_I love your sense of humour, your kindness, your love for any music that isn’t mine._

(You laugh when you read that.)

 

_I love the way you cuddle up to me in bed, the way you sort of tuck yourself up like we’re two halves of the same puzzle fitting together._

 

_I love the way your nose crinkles when you laugh._

_I love the way your eyes light up when something good happens, like when you get a book published, and I love the way you always throw yourself at me for a hug even more._

_I love your body, which is perfect in any way, whether you’re pregnant or not. Some days I can’t believe how lucky I am to have someone as beautiful as you in my life, and I’m so proud that you’re mine and no one else’s._

You feel your heart melting as you will yourself not to cry, because no one’s ever told you all these things about yourself before, and it’s just what you needed, a confidence booster, the way you’re feeling right now. You dress and when you reach for your hairbrush, you’re surprised to find he’s taped a Post-It note to that too.

 

_I love the way your hair looks first thing in the morning, and last thing at night. I love the way it always smells so lovely and feels so soft._

He’s taped one to your perfume bottle too.

 

_I love your scent, with or without perfume._

And to your wardrobe.

 

_I love the way you look when you wear my T-shirts, and the way that no matter what you wear, you’re always the most beautiful woman in the room._

Feeling incredibly happier than you did a while ago, you hurry as fast as you can downstairs. Harry’s already dressed and making pancakes for you both.

 

“Hey,” he smiles, and when you go up to kiss him, he laughs. “Hey, whoa,” he says, holding you at arm’s length. “No shortcuts. You haven’t got the whole message yet.”

 

“There’s more?” you say.

 

Harry nods to your place at the table and you go over to find a note taped to your mat.

 

_Most of all, I love that fact that you’re carrying my child. I couldn’t be prouder to have you in my life when I found that out, because you really are the best thing that ever happened to me and the best decision I ever made was my decision to pursue a relationship with you the first time we met. My life would be so unbelievably empty and boring and unfulfilling without you in it, in fact, in the words of a certain rock star who shall remain nameless for the sake of sounding too cheesy, it would completely suck without you in it. You’re my everything._

You look up with tears in your eyes to see Harry holding out a plate of pancakes for you. On top of them, he’s written in maple syrup three words.

 

_I love you._

 

“Harry...” You don’t know what else to say, so you just go up and hug him, trying to pour everything you feel into the hug. You love him so much in this one minute, more than words can possibly say.

 

“Oh, damn, I missed something,” Harry says.

 

“What?” you say, looking up at him.

 

“That I find you being pregnant incredibly sexy,” he replies.

 

You laugh, even though you’re also crying with happiness.

 

“Alright, you made your point,” you say, reaching up to kiss him. “Thank you.”

 

Harry smiles and brushed a strand of your _[h/l] [h/c]_ hair out of your eyes. “So do you believe me now?”

 

“Yes, I believe you,” you say. He gives you a look and you sigh, dramatically, and admit “I am beautiful.”

 

“Yes, you are,” Harry replies, kissing you again. “You’re my beautiful _[Y/N].”_


	3. "Best Song Ever"

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Well...what do you think's going to happen?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Surprise for you, guys: This is not going to be the last One Direction and Thee fanfic, I do have a one-shot planned to finish the series with. Enjoy!

You’re growing close to your due date now, and what with all the birthing classes and books you and Harry have been attending and reading, you both know what to expect when it does happen. Of course, you had a moment of panic when you got shown a video of exactly what to expect in the actual birthing process, so much so that you insisted your baby just stay put and never come out, but Harry managed to calm you down and insist that her or she, and he was still certain it would be a girl, would be worth all the pain and embarrassment.

 

So now, here you were, almost exactly nine months after the night you told Harry you were going to have a baby, looking very much like you’d smuggled an overly large watermelon under your jumper and not able to actually get up off the sofa because you’ve been tackled into a huge hug by Niall. The guys have come over just to hang out, having nothing better to do with their time off and it’s nice to see them, even though you and Harry had just planned to have a quiet day in, just the two of you and the baby.

 

Harry rolls his eyes and mouths a “Sorry,” at you over Niall’s head.

 

Before you can reply, Niall pulls abruptly away. “Oi! She’s kicking me!”

 

“I’m not,” you say.

 

“No, _she_ is!” He indicates your stomach.

 

Liam laughs. “She probably doesn’t like you, Niall!”

 

“Why are we all so determined that it’ll be a girl?” you laugh.

 

“We’re not, but if it isn’t, I lose fifty quid,” Liam replies, pointing to Zayn. “We’ve got a bet on.”

 

Harry folds his arms. “You two are using our baby just to gamble?”

 

Zayn reddens. “Maybe.”

 

You laugh at their guilty expressions as Harry just shakes his head. “Well, in that case, if you lot are going to crash here for a while, I’m going to get some more milk.” He picks up his keys and looks over at you. “Do we need anything else?”

 

It’s his subtle way of asking if you’re craving anything right now he can pick up in town and you smile at him. “Maybe some chocolate chip cookies. And some of that marshmallow fluff.”

 

“Ooh, I’ll take a bag of Doritos,” Niall adds.

 

“Buy your own, you’re not pregnant,” Harry returns, leaning over the sofa to kiss you. “Bye.”

 

“See you in a bit,” you smile.

 

“Come on, you, you can help me carry stuff,” Harry adds to Liam. They leave together and Louis immediately commandeers the remote as the others spread themselves about in a comfortable manner and you curl up on the sofa as best as you can in your condition.

 

“I tell you,” Zayn says, shaking his head. “Perrie’s got baby fever now, it’s all she can talk about.”

 

“Yeah, same with Eleanor,” Louis adds, glancing over at you.

 

“Not my fault, guys,” you remind them, holding up your hands. “Anyway, they’ll probably settle down again once it’s born, when I’m complaining to them about 3am feedings and nappy changes and stuff.”

 

“I thought you’d leave the nappy changing to Harry,” Niall grins. “Isn’t it supposed to be the man who does the dirty jobs?”

 

The others laugh and you smile.

 

 

“No, we’ll take our turns with that. Harry’s in charge of bottle feeding when it happens,” you say, stroking a hand over your stomach and feeling another soft kick.

 

“Fair enough,” Louis shrugs.

 

You all settle down and start watching an episode of an old sitcom that still has the ability to make everyone in the room laugh. Halfway through it, however, you start to feel a little weird. You shift in your seat but it doesn’t go away. Thinking you just need the bathroom, you push yourself up off the sofa and then gasp as a pain hits you within, causing everyone else to glance up at you.

 

“What’s wrong?” Zayn asks.

 

“I don’t want to alarm anyone,” you say, “but I think that was a contraction.” The three of them spring to their feet as you yelp through another one. “Yes, definitely a contraction!” Something trickles down your leg, your waters just broke. “Oh, God, the baby’s coming! Do something!”

 

Niall immediately faints.

 

“Not that!” you exclaim.

 

Zayn quickly snaps into action. “We’ve got to call Harry!”

 

“No, you’ve got to call an ambulance!” you snap, grabbing at the arm of the sofa to keep yourself upright. “And one of you go to the bedroom, in the wardrobe you’ll find a bag with all my hospital stuff in, I’m going to need it.”

 

“Right!” Zayn gets onto the phone whilst Louis runs out of the room, although he pauses to look back at you.

 

“It’ll be alright, _[Y/N],”_ he says, seriously.

 

You just grimace and concentrate on your breathing as Zayn all but demands that an ambulance get there “NOW!” Niall’s still on the floor; apparently his faint was very real and not just a joke as you’d originally assumed.

 

“They’re on their way,” Zayn informs you, hanging up.

 

“Good,” you gasp, “now phone Harry.”

 

Louis comes back into the room with your hospital bag. “Can I do anything?” he asks, seeing you’re in obvious pain.

 

“Hold my hand,” you beg, grasping for him.

 

Louis does so and then yelp. “Argh, that really hurts!”

 

“Oh, I’m sorry, Louis, how inconsiderate of me!” you say, sarcastically as you glare at him. “I’m really making a big deal out of nothing, aren’t I? After all, all _I’m_ trying to do is push a baby out of my womb!”

 

Louis blinks at you. “Forget I said anything.”

 

“Harry,” Zayn’s saying now in the phone. “You’ve got to get back here, quick, _[Y/N]’s_ having the baby right now.”

 

“I can’t give birth here!” you gasp, feeling tears in your eyes.

 

“He says to breathe the way they taught you in the classes,” Zayn informs you, and you do so as he reports back to Harry. “Yeah, she’s doing that – hello? Hello?” He frowns at his phone. “He hung up on me!”

 

“Oh, God!” you cry.

 

Louis winces. “Another contraction?”

 

“No, I’m stuck here in labour with you lot!” you snap.

 

“Well, Harry says he’s on his way,” Zayn states, jiggling from one foot to the other. “What do we do? Should I get hot water and towels?”

 

“That’s only in films,” you gasp.

 

“Well, look, maybe we should just do something to take your mind off it,” Louis suggests, flexing his fingers in yours.

 

“Don’t you dare start singing,” you warn them.

 

Thankfully, the ambulance turns up a second later, although you don’t appreciate the men initially going to put Niall into a stretcher.

 

“It’s not for him, it’s for her!” Zayn and Louis both exclaim in unison and Niall is promptly dropped.

 

The next thing you know, Harry’s there beside you, holding you close and kissing your hair as he helps you into the ambulance. You have to say that you have never been so glad to see him before in your life.

 

“Harry, I’m scared,” you whimper.

 

“Don’t be,” Harry whispered back, holding your hand tightly and not caring whether or not you’re hurting him. “You’re going to bring our baby into the world, you can do this, _[Y/N],_ I know you can.” He leans in and kisses your forehead. “I love you.”

 

“Don’t take this the wrong way,” you whisper, “but right now I really don’t like you very much.”

 

Harry just laughs, softly, and holds you for the rest of the journey.

 

In the end, there’s not much of the actual labour that you can remember beyond the pain and the shouting and then finally the hot slippery rush of delivery and the sound of a tiny crying as your baby takes its first breath of air. Well, that’s not entirely true, you do remember threatening to kill Harry if he ever does this to you ever again.

 

_“How are you feeling?” Harry asked, while you were still waiting to dilate enough to push your baby out._

_“Like my insides are being ripped apart!” you growled._

_“Well, that sounds normal...” he ventured._

_“Harry, I swear if you ever try to have sex with me ever again, you will wake up with more arrows in you than Saint Sebastian!” you snap, gritting your teeth through another contraction._

But Harry was right, you reflect, in the end your baby was worth all the pain.

 

“Don’t you dare say I told you so,” you smile, tiredly, as the nurse hands you the precious little bundle wrapped in a pink blanket.

 

Harry smiles back as he brushes the top of her head with one finger, so gently. “She’s absolutely perfect.” Then, even after all your threats, he risks kissing your forehead. “You did brilliantly, I’m so proud of you.”

 

“Do we have a name yet?” the nurse asks.

 

You glance at Harry. “Um...”

 

“Could you just give us a second?” Harry asks.

 

“Of course.” The nurse leaves with a nod as you adjust your little daughter in your arms and look up at your husband.

 

“Have you got anything?” you ask.

 

He grins at you. “I did have one idea, but we don’t have to use it if you don’t like it.”

 

“Well?”

 

“Melody.”

 

You try it out. “Melody Styles. I like that.”

 

“I mean, after all,” Harry smiles, kissing your daughter’s forehead, “she is our “best song ever.”

 

“You just couldn’t resist, could you?” you sigh, but you’re too happy to be cross with him right now.

 

“Nope,” Harry grins, before kissing you.

 

The nurse fills in the hospital card, and seeing your daughter’s name Melody Styles written down like that makes you feel even more proud that you’ve just given birth to her. She really is perfect, like a delicate work of art, strands of fine brown hair, Harry’s shade, already on her head, her eyes very big and blue, everything else about her so tiny, right down to her little fingernails and you know instantly that you love her. Looking at the way Harry’s looking at her too you can tell that he loves her too, as much as, if not more than, he loves you.

 

After a little persistence, the nurse allows the rest of One Direction in to see you “but just for five minutes,” he insists, “mother and baby need their rest.”

 

“You alright now, Niall?” you ask.

 

He rubs his head with a sheepish grin. “Didn’t mean to pass out on you, _[Y/N],_ sorry.”

 

“Well, we managed,” you say, smiling down at Melody. “These are your uncles, sweetheart.”

 

“Aw...” Liam smiles. “What’s she called?”

 

“Melody,” Harry replies, with a smile. You hand her up to him for his first hold. Melody looks a bit confused by all these people around and makes a soft murmuring noise before closing her eyes. Harry kisses her forehead again and smiles down at you. You smile tiredly back and lean against him. He’s right. She definitely is the best thing in both your lives right now.

 

"I love you, Harry," you murmur after the boys have been hustled away by the kind but very firm nurse.

 

He grins. "What happened to not wanting me near you ever again?"

 

You pull a face. "Had second thoughts; you're on bottlefeeding duty, after all."

 

He leans down and kisses your forehead. "I love you too, _[Y/N]."_ He smiles down at Melody and adds "Both of you."

 

"We love you too," you smile, reaching up to kiss him.


End file.
